


Pink Tie, Green Hair - A Love At First Sight Story

by booksareourlove



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, Genderfluid, LGBT, LGBTQIA+, Love at First Sight, Magnus is a gigantic idiot but what's new, Nirvana - Freeform, Pansexual, University AU, fierrochase, magnus x alex, mention of BlitzStone, queer, salty Chip, the hunger games marathon, this is a love story ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 06:08:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11961321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booksareourlove/pseuds/booksareourlove
Summary: Magnus is studying art. He's not particularly excited and has not yet talked to his roommate, the salty Chip. In his first class, a boy throws him off his socks. On his second day, he falls hard for the most stunning girl he ever saw.





	Pink Tie, Green Hair - A Love At First Sight Story

**Author's Note:**

> based on this tumblr idea:
> 
> https://non-binary-pieceofshit.tumblr.com/post/162600852329/skullfuckingdemon-temporalpairofsocks

Magnus woke up after a night of tossing and turning on a quiet summer morning. Just the thought of the anxiety he was going to have on his first day of classes made him cringe and hope to cease to exist.

University. What a big word for something that probably would only turn out to be school, but professionally,, Magnus thought. Well, of course he wouldn’t know, but low expectations usually received nice surprises. Trying not to wake his roommate, the salty Chip, he dressed and shouldered his backpack.

He was early, but still he passed a few people as he walked to the coffee shop on campus to get breakfast. The bartender, Barry, was the only face Magnus was able to recognize. Having only moved in a few days ago and being utterly terrified of meeting people, he had talked to no one else – that said, this is what his conversations with Barry were like:

Magnus: I’ll take the vegan bagel, a banana, a big cafe latte and this chocolate bar please.

Barry: That would be eight dollar. Thank you.

Magnus: *smile*

After which Magnus would get his food and drink and leave. Exciting, right? _Somewhere deep, deep down,_ he knew that Barry probably wouldn’t remember his face.

Later, feeling like the bagel he ate was trying to eat him back inside his stomach, he was the first student to enter English class. He took a seat in the second row, hoping it would show that he was reserved but interested. _Somewhere deep, deep down,_ he knew that probably nobody would notice or care. _Somewhere deep, deep down,_ he had a feeling that this was not going to be fun.

That was the other thing about university. His adoptive dads Blitz and Hearthstone had always talked about how fun university life had been for them, and how many friends people had there. Magnus was thinking about the best way to make friends without seeming like a crazy stalker when _he_ entered.

Startled, Magnus looked up and forgot that air existed. _He_ was walking in slow motion but way too fast, his dyed green hair gelled back from his forehead and all spiked up, a neon pink tie around his neck that looked out of place next to the leather jacket and the silver necklace with a star pendant. He swished past Magnus and while trying to breathe in his scent (he couldn’t) Magnus noticed the black nail polish that made the stranger appear downright irresistible.

Magnus felt his stomach sink all the way down to hell as he stared into thin air. People came in and sat down, the last bell rang and the English teacher showed up a few seconds late. Magnus desperately tried to focus on anything that wasn’t the looming presence of _him_ somewhere behind him.

He failed.

He only saw him leave into another direction after class, but didn’t see him for the rest of the day. He tried to pay attention to his teachers instead. He failed.

After an exhausting day of talking to exactly one person – his Norse Mythology teacher, about a project – he fell into bed, thinking only of that guy. The hot one. From English class.

What kind of fuckery, he thought as he fell asleep.

-

The next morning he awoke due to salty Chip singing Come As You Are by Nirvana in the shower. Loudly.

A panicked look at the clock told him he was late, but could still make it in time to his first class: Art History. Maybe now would be a good time to say that Magnus’s mayor was, in fact, art. As soon as he had put on some clothes and managed to make his shoulder length blond hair look less messy, he had some water he left, to the (wrong) tune of salty Chip’s Smells Like Teen Spirit.

On his way to the main building he remembered that he should have waited for salty Chip to clear the bathroom so he could have brushed his teeth, in case the Hot GuyTM was planning on kissing him today.

He walked into the classroom one minute before the bell, a bit out of breath but otherwise on time. All seats were taken, though, except in the first row middle, where a seat next to the most striking girl he had ever seen was free.

Not wanting to weirdly stand around and gather dust, Magnus slowly sat down next to the green haired beauty who rocked the pixie cut and whose makeup was flawless, winged eyeliner on point, lips like one word of them would kill, and highlighter... oh, no, there definitely wasn’t enough highlighter in the world to do this girl justice.

Magnus forcefully tore his gaze away, as there was no need to stare at her like this was some kind of Twilight AU, but _shit._ That girl. _Next to him._

“Hi,” said girl said.

And Magnus knew he was going to die. Slowly he met her eyes, trying not smile too widely. “Hkell-,” Magnus choked and cleared his throat. She had eyes of different colours and Magnus thought he might faint. “I mean, hello.”

“I’m Alex,” the beautiful girl said friendly. Her voice was a deep vibration that drowned out all the other chattering students.

“I’m Magnus,” Magnus replied trying not to fall off his chair. Alex, he thought. And then: HolyshithowwillIsurvive. How did he manage to meet _two_ green haired humans and fall in love at first sight with _both?_

In that moment, the teacher strode in, dressed like a medieval monk. That sure got the attention of all students, and even though Magnus’s attention was on Alex next to him, he managed to pay attention to actual history and even take notes that didn’t have anything to do with a guy walking into English class or the girl next to him.

At breakfast in their free period after Art History, Alex introduced Magnus to a group of her friends, Mallory and Halfborn, who were dating, and T.J., who had all been to High School together with Alex or met her over the internet. As they had all overslept, they sat around a round table at Barry’s, had breakfast and talked classes and life choices and how it was only the second day and they had a pile of work to do.

They all seemed to like Magnus, which made him a little uncomfortable, but in the end he gave them his number and was invited to a chat room and a movie marathon on Friday night.

The rest of the day, he didn’t have classes with any of them, which gave him enough time to think about his crush on Alex as well as the Hot GuyTM from English.

_Well, shit._

-

Wednesday was a mess. Physically, Magnus was present, getting breakfast at Barry’s, the restaurant wasn’t even called that, Magnus just referred to it that way because the day before a certain Hot Lady had smiled when Magnus had mentioned the cashier’s name and jokingly called the coffee shop “Barry’s”. Yes, Magnus called the coffee shop Barry’s now because of that conversation. Just the thought of Alex meant he was smiling, which meant he was smiling all the time, couldn’t stop. Whenever he thought he might have spotted a black leather jacket, he thought of the Hot GuyTM from English and his heart did the thing and he had to remind himself to breathe.

At lunch in the cafeteria he Mallory and Halfborn, but as they were kissing nonstop, Magnus only thought of Alex even more.

That afternoon he didn’t have classes, and spent the day in his bed catching up on homework. When salty Chip returned from whatever class they had had that day, Magnus decided to throw his stupid anxiety out of the window, as he was going to die if he didn’t talk about this to anybody.

“Chip?” He asked as Chip stuffed their mouth with chocolate, laptop open in front of them and phone in hand.

To his surprise, Chip put their phone down and turned to Magnus. “Mmmhh?” They said, their cheeks stuffed with the mountain of chocolate they were hamster-ing.

“I have this problem,” Magnus started, suddenly feeling nervous and hugging his pillow to his stomach and chest. As if it was going to make him feel any better. “Actually, two problems.”

Chip swallowed. “Let’s hear. Does it have anything to do with the reason you’ve been smiling since classes started? I thought it was pretty weird.”

“Uh, yeah, actually.” Magnus sighed. “You see, on Monday in English class, there was this. This. This extremely hot guy. Like I don’t even know. And it’s not like we talked or anything, we just kinda looked each other into the eyes once, briefly.” Magnus felt his cheeks hurt from his wide smile.

“Ooooh!” Chip said excitedly. “But that’s not a problem at all! You just talk to him next time you see him! Then you’re gonna make out and your problem is solved.”

Magnus looked up in surprise. “What makes you think he’d talk to me?”

“Well, for starters, you’re handsome, and I have never seen a human who rocks scarves as much as you do? And like, your shoulder length hair doesn’t look terrible either.” Chip smiled, referring to the thin scarves Magnus was wearing all the time and always. “You got this.”

Then Magnus remembered his second problem. “Thanks, but... there’s the other thing.”

“He has a girlfriend? Boyfriend?”

“No, uh... Yesterday in Art History I met this girl. And like. If love at first sight exists, this was it. She even flirted a bit I think. And like. I love everything about her from her smile to her black nail polish and her amazing friends...”

Chip’s eyes had gotten big. “Oh, dear... that does sound like a nightmare.”

Magnus couldn’t help himself, he laughed. “I always wanted to fall in love, you know? Not just those high school crushes or whatever, but actually falling in love and feel everything else melting away. But now I just. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.”

His roommate nodded knowingly. “Are you like, polyamorous or something? Because that would solve it. Just. You three. Together, as equals.”

“That does sound better than me whining about my love life,” Magnus agreed. “I never thought of polyamorous, though.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything!” Chip smiled. “I’m also not that salty, actually. And besides being non-binary, I’m pansexual.”

“Hello, not that salty Chip,” Magnus said and that was how he finally made friends with his not that salty roommate.

-

Thursday was awful. The whole day was a series of sketching and trying to sculpture sand castles, because the whole day was just taken by one class, creative arts practised. (This probably doesn’t exist but just think of it as an old art professor finally getting his way with the school board to try out a thing with freshmen for a semester.)

Even though Magnus did befriend some fellow Art students, he didn’t see Alex and her friends, and even though Chip’s pep talk helped him come clean with his feelings, he was starting to think the Hot GuyTM was a wild dream or just generally nerves being nervous.

Faster than he thought possible it was Friday evening and he was sitting in a semicircle around a TV with Alex next to him and surrounded by the squad.

They were watching The Hunger Games, and by the time Catching Fire started all of them were crying. Magnus joined them doing the three finger salute whenever anything happened, and was sad but relieved when the crying stopped twenty minutes after Mockingjay Part 2 ended. Somehow he found himself with Alex alone in the kitchen of the tiny apartment, sipping water from a bowl as T.J. didn’t own glasses. (Life as a student, okay?)

“So, what are your plans for the weekend?” Alex asked, raising one perfect eyebrow.

Magnus died. “I’m just gonna, uh, do my English assignments I guess. What about you?”

Alex seemed to cringe a bit. “My family wants me to visit suddenly. Well, my half sister Samirah, mostly. And here I was planning on hitting town and getting drunk and kissing a cute boy.”

Magnus couldn’t help but laugh. His cheeks were on fire. “That did sound like a nice plan. How do you get along with your family, anyway?” She felt his smile waver as Alex looked away.

“It’s okay,” Alex said. “We had our differences, but I guess they’re over it now.”

Silence filled the space between them.

“This isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about,” Alex said at last and put her bowl down before plucking Magnus’s bowl away and closing the distance until she stood a breath away from him.

Magnus felt like he was going to die right there on this spot as Alex gestured at the scarf that he was everywhere and always wearing.

“May I take it off?”

Magnus could only hold his breath and nod as Alex gently unwrapped his scarf, then he suddenly felt exposed as his neck was bare and he remembered all the Vampire AUs he’d written in high school about just everything, including hot girls with pixie cuts. “Are you... are you a Vampire?” He asked, his voice shaking.

Alex stopped and smiled, a real smile, too wide for her beautiful face, but Magnus thought it made her light up like a Christmas tree: beautiful.

“I guess no?” Magnus whispered, desperate for something, anything.

Alex’s fingertips grazed his cheeks and the feather light touches felt like heaven and hell decided to become friends. “Can I...” she swallowed, “can I maybe kiss you?”

Magnus could only nod and lean in as she closed any and all space between them and let their lips touch. Her mouth was hot and her tongue was everything Magnus had imagined and more.

Just when Magnus was sure he was going to suffocate or die from joy or Alex’s hands in his hair he heard clattering from somewhere near the door. A string of curses followed as Alex let go of Magnus and stepped back.

Halfborn stood in the door, glass shards to his feet. “Uh, sorry,” he said and left awkwardly.

Magnus looked at Alex. “So your weekend goes as planned?” He smirked, kind of proud of that flirt attempt.

“Um, maybe we should go back to the others,” Alex blushed, refusing to meet his eyes.

Magnus could only nod. With shaking hands he took his scarf and wrapped it around him. His lips felt like glowing coal as he followed Alex back to the living room.

-

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!” Magnus screamed when he returned to his dorm room and found Chip on their laptop and eating popcorn out of a Tupperware box. Face first he fell into his bed.

“Oh my GODS!” Screamed Chip. “I knew something was going to happen! Gimme all the details!”

“...and then my heart did this thing and I can still feel her lips on mine and I don’t know what to feel!” Magnus finished explaining the events of the night.

“Oh, darling,” Chip said. “And you’re not going to see her all weekend?”

“She’s spending time with her family,” he agreed.

“This weekend is going to be hell for you,” Chip prophesied.

He was right.

Magnus ended up sketching Alex about a million times with hearts in all variations and colours. The English Assignment he had ready by Sunday evening might as well have been Twilight, but without vampires. He just couldn’t focus on anything that didn’t have anything to do with sappy love stories.

It wasn’t until he woke up on Monday that he remembered the other problem. The Hot GuyTM was going to be in this class.

Well, shit, he thought and went to Barry’s to get breakfast.

He wasn’t the first in the classroom, but _he_ wasn’t there yet, and the second row was still completely empty, so Magnus took the seat he had had last week. Did only a week pass since he started college, saw _him_ for the first time, and then proceeded to get to know the prettiest girl on the planet and get kissed by her? Oh, _gods._

He took his pens and notebooks out of his bag and arranged them on the desk, when he heard someone sit down next to him. He looked up and again forgot what air was and that life existed.

 _He_ was smiling at him, in a familiar way, green hair brushed out of his perfect face. He took off his leather jacket to reveal a black shirt beneath, pink tie and silver necklace on him just like last week.

Magnus turned away. Am I dead, he thought, his mind blank and his lungs unable to breathe.

“Hi Magnus,” he said, his voice oddly familiar, deep and smooth. To die for.

“Hi,” was all he managed. Howdoesheknowmyname, he screamed in his head and started to doodle something on the cover of his notebook. Under his lashes, he looked at him.

He was watching Magnus, an unreadable expression on his face. At last he turned and took out a notepad and pen. He was still wearing the black nail polish.

The final bell rang but the teacher didn’t show up.

At last, Magnus turned back to him, trying to come up with a decent question. “So, uh, how was your weekend?” How miserable! Who even asks a hot guy about his weekend?

At that, surprisingly, the hot guy looked up and smiled. “It was okay. I almost thought it was going to be worse.”

Magnus tried not to look too lost to whatever that meant, and nodded like he understood.

“How was yours?” Mr. Mysterious asked, with something like hope in his voice. Or polite interest.

“I, uh,” Magnus paused. How do you explain you were thinking about a girl you barely knew for a few days, but you were madly in love and she kissed you and didn’t even text you all weekend? “I didn’t really do anything,” he finally answered.

A few more minutes passed, and then the class cancelled itself because no teacher showed up.

“Do you feel like having breakfast? Or like Second Breakfast? I kinda overslept a bit and missed First,” he added, looking smug like he was telling a dirty secret.

Magnus couldn’t help but grin at that. He loved Lord of the Rings, and having things like Second Breakfast and other meals only Hobbits knew about was totally a thing he’d do. “I’d like that,” he replied, before realising that he had implied they’d eat together and become friends or whatever and this had been their first conversation.

But, well, to put it one way: the guy was hot.

Yes, Magnus had a girlfriend, probably, but should this guy feel romantically attracted to him, he could just tell him he swung another way and had a girlfriend. And who knew, maybe Alex would like this guy and they’d all be happy and polyamorous, like Chip had suggested?

So they went to Barry’s and he ordered a chocolate muffin and a kiwi smoothie. They were just about to sit down when the door opened and Mallory and Halfborn stepped into the cafe and spotted them.

A wide grin spread over Halfborn’s mouth. “Hey, Alex!” He called and was in the hot guy’s arms a second later, bro-hugging him.

Mallory smiled at Magnus, and hugged the Hot GuyTM shortly with a smile, then hugged Magnus and went and got in line for coffee and food, muttering about Halfborn being unable to live in a world with cafes.

Halfborn sat down with Magnus and the Hot GuyTM.

Magnus felt like a train wreck. This guy’s name was Alex, too?

Then he noticed the similarities. He had thought he looked familiar, but now he noticed the perfect eyebrows and remembered his black nail polish. Why hadn’t Alex told him she had a twin?

“Magnus?”

He was forcefully torn from his thoughts and looked at Halfborn. “Yeah?”

“Did you hear what I just said?”

“Um, sorry, no.” Magnus looked between Halfborn and the hot guy – Alex? Did he mishear?

“What’s your next class today?” Halfborn repeated kindly, but Magnus was at another place once again.

“Are you like, her twin brother or something?”Magnus asked and almost stumbled over the words. “Sorry, I mean, I’m very sorry, but I didn’t catch your name?”

Halfborn looked between Magnus and him – Alex? – and his entire face looked like a question mark, and even he – Alex? – looked a bit left behind.

Mallory showed up with a coffee and a croissant for herself and for Halfborn and looked between everybody’s questioning faces. “Um,” she said. “Did I miss something?”

Magnus could feel herself blush and suddenly he felt like the most stupid person alive. “Uh, I just,” he tried, then tried again. “I know this might sound like I’m the stupidest person you’ve ever met and I’m sorry if you already told me but I forgot – who are you?”

Slowly, understanding crept over his – Alex’s – face, then he – Alex – smiled. He actually smiled.

Magnus looked at Halfborn and Mallory for help, who looked just as lost as he was, if for different reasons.

Magnus stuffed his mouth with chocolate muffin.

“I’m Alex,” the Hot GuyTM finally said. He leaned back in his chair, looking totally not seducing and totally not attracting at all.

Magnus tried not to choke on his muffin and took a sip of smoothie. “Okay,” he said, because this guy just took the real Alex’s spot in real Alex’s friend group.

“ _The_ Alex.” Hot GuyTM elaborated, raising an eyebrow seductively.

Magnus couldn’t deny it, but shit. “Look, you’re hot and all. But what the fuck? Is everybody in your family this cute?”

“I am Alex! The one you kissed on Friday. I’m genderfluid,” Alex continued like he was telling a deep dirty secret, “and I’m kinda flattered you didn’t recognize me. But I’m also happy I could to the introduction thing a second time.” He smirked and winked at Magnus.

“Wait so,” Magnus said slowly. “You’re not her twin. You’re... her. Him. What even?”

Alex’s flirty expression started to falter but Magnus was still trying to wrap his head around what he just told him. But it made sense, didn’t it? This morning he came up to him like he knew him. How did he not notice? The hair was the same. The smile was the same. The voice was the same and the smile was making Magnus’s heart flutter just the same.

“I can’t believe it,” Magnus said at last. “That all of last week I was torn between having a crush on this guy from English and falling in love with the most beautiful girl I ever saw and now you’re telling me they’re one and the same person?”

“Uh, yeah?” Suddenly Alex didn’t sound so sure anymore.

“And I was googling polyamorous all weekend!” Magnus complained. That sounded really stupid, so he laughed. “My roommate is going to love this,” he added and looked at Alex.

Alex looked at his friends and then back at Magnus. “So, we’re good? You’re not one of those weird straights? You’re not hetero, are you?”

The concern in his voice only made Magnus laugh harder. “I, a pansexual individual,” he said, trying to sound formally, “am in love with you, Alex.”

He didn’t know it was true until he said it, but it was. Yes, he only knew Alex for a week but he loved him. Magnus knew that. And who cares about gender anyway?

Alex’s face went all soft and he reached over the table to grab Magnus’s scarf. His eyes were undressing Magnus but his smile was sincere.

“I love you too, you gigantic dork.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Epilogue:
> 
> I, the author, appear out of nowhere and give them chocolate. Suddenly Chip is here, attracted by all the chocolate, and T.J. shows up on the back of a unicorn.  
> Chip is very happy that Magnus has solved his problems and is very happy to finally meet Alex.  
> Malex FierroChase is a ship (of the dead (Einherji)) made for eternity and they love each other forever.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
